European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 08, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday novembers. 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 i of if Fec Szuc fens face off with Habsburg head of Royal family gives Frank answers to serious questions by Charlie Bow Den Munich Bureau Munich it was t a presidential press Confer ence but considering the questions asked by the Stu dents it might have been. Twory six talented and gifted students from Rhein main elementary and Junior High schools faced off tuesday with Otto von Habsburg. Scholar your Nalum politician and head of the austrian Royal Ami � ,.c a roup prep if Cocks by tag coordinator Katalim Judith Balogh. Asked probing questions that would have done any reporter proud. Balogh set up the interview As part of a study trip Tor her class to Munich. The trip included a visit to the bavarian fim studios Germany s Hollywood Andi slops a several of the City s museums. But the highlight from a teaching standpoint Balogh said Washie interview with Habsburg. The session held at the hungarian Catholic mis Sion in Munich opened with a presentation by habs Burg who Speaks seven languages fluently and a spokesman for the european parliament in addition to being a member. He began with a 30-Minule political history of Europe focusing on the Post world War ii Era and highlighting the Ilalio ships Between the United states the european Community and the soviet Union. Despite the age of his audience who ranged from the fifth through the ninth grades Habsburg spoke As if delivering a political statement to International re porters. He covered the topical issues of the Day rang ing from terrorism to a unified Europe to the techno logical advances of the future. Then came the question and answer session the culmination of hours of preparation. What is your position on the deployment of per Shing missiles asked one student. Habsburg answered that he supports deployment of Pershing 2 missiles As a necessary Way to maintain a military balance. A Strong America is the greatest guarantee of world peace he said. Another student asked what is being done to Deal us Woholo by Charu Bov attn of o ton Habsburg answers a question from sixth Grade Abeln main elementary student John Ferrie. With terrors activities not enough Habsburg replied. We have been very lax in fighting ice prism. We must Stop or Cut off  escape routes across National Borders As a no. I priority. Speaking of the european Community we must cooperate More in the Battle against  the questions continued with some startling an Swers. What arc the chances of a third world War a third youngster asked. We Are already in it Habsburg said. But it is not a War of guns and bullets. It is a War of terrorism and economics and we Are winning  Habsburg provided straight Forward answers to serious questions never talking Down to the students or treating the session As a game. But when Balogh ended the session the students became students again asking for autographs getting Habsburg to pose for pictures and wondering when they would cat lunch. To endangers nation threatens culture author says by de Reavis suit writer Frankfurt Neil postman makes his living Tell ing americans How increasingly addled their minds be come watching television. But he does t mind being a Prophet of doom. If you re going into the prophecy business More peo ple will listen to you if you predict doom than if you predict better limes he said. Postman a former semantic St and now Media ecologist at new York University is the witty author of two books on the disintegration of american culture through television the loss of childhood and amusing our selves to death scheduled for publication this month. In his latest Book which appeared in German in time for the Frankfurt Book fair in october postman says it was not the orwellian vision of 1984 we had to fear a Nice bit of monday morning quark cracking in 1985 but the More Subtle horror of Aldous Huxley s Brave new world  unlike Orwell s big Broth or in Huxley s Book it was in insidious pleasure principle that led people Down the Primrose path to a life of being totally manipulated. Postman claims prisons terror watchdogs and a ministry of truth arc superfluous when a nation can be seduced into wasting its time in trivialities. When culture is presented to it the populace As an endless series of easily consumable entertainment shows when Public discussion degenerates into  Small talk when citizens Are transformed into clevis on viewer where their Public interest is handled in the manner of a vaudeville show when the facility of discretion Withers through disuse then a nation is endangered its culture threatened with extinction postman says. Postman s answer to the claim that television would make a Hitler impossible is that the new fuehrer would have different qualities. He will not have a Strong personality and be every thing to everyman. Those in the audience will project their desires on this Mirror and Sec what they want to see namely themselves. Thai s Why people will vote for him even if he is taking from Herr Nell pm mum. Wrote amusing ourselves to death postman claims . News programs have degenerated to he Point of entertainment with information value with programs like "60 minutes being the worst be cause they pretend to disseminate information. During a debate in Frankfurt s amerika Haus with the head of radio Luxembourg television postman cited two experiments by his Institute for Media ecology at Nyu to support his arguments. After More than a year of almost daily television coverage of the iranian hostage crisis we sent students out to interview several Hundred people to see what they knew about Iran. We asked simple questions such As where is Iran who is the Leader of the country what religion Are the iranians postman said the Only people who could answer the questions gained heir information from the print Media. In another test Young people were asked to describe in writing a Glass of Beer. Postman said the students described a Large German Stein filled to the brim with a Large White head extending beyond. Now anybody who knows what a Flat drink american Beer is and How it s served in a Pitcher or a Glass must ask themselves where the hell did these kids get the notion of a Beer being served in a Stein i la Tell you where from television. Now with that example it would be interesting to know what kind of country they think they Are living in. What kind of notion they have of our democracy do you gel my Point postman said he deplores visual forms of communication taking Uver the proper function of  according to postman s research the average . Television set is on 7tt hours a Day each american will see 2 million commercials and some 3 million picture advertisements during a lifetime and Young people spend twice As much Lime in front of the tube As they do in school. As a consequence there Are estimates that there Are 60 million illiterate americans one third of our population he said. To support his Contention that politics has Degener ated into show business. Postman noted that former Secretary of state Henry Kissinger former president Gerald Ford former sen. George Mcgovern former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. House speaker Thomas p. O Neill and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have appeared on soap operas variety shows or commercials. The line Between politics and entertainment has been annihilated. Americans rely largely upon to for their daily news which is presented to them in the form of film footage. Stories without Good him footage Are not carried with the result that americans May be the most uninformed people in the Western world As would any people who have come to believe that everything is Clevi Sable and that which is not is not Worth